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A month of welfare: How can CBS increase student welfare?

The President of CBS Students kickstarts a month of student welfare. (Photo: Anne M. Lykkegaard)

Student wellbeing is being impacted on all sides. So what can be done about it? During May, CBS Students wants to invite the students of CBS to events that talk about how to improve wellbeing. Also, CBS Students encourages you to share your ideas on what CBS can do.

Anne M. Lykkegaard

Journalist

CBS Students has named May the month of student welfare. They want students to think and talk about their wellbeing and how they thrive at CBS the entire month.

And to make them do so, CBS Students is hosting four events with different takes on what’s causing students to feel under pressure and what can be done about it, both on an individual level and at a CBS level.

“Wellbeing is important as it enhances learning. You’re not 100% in control of creating an environment for wellbeing. But you’re part of it,” says Mikkel Nielsen, the President of CBS Students.

“Wellbeing is not just about stress. It’s much more than that, and we want to have different approaches to the theme and remind students that they too can do something about it. Both for themselves and their fellow students, by sharing ideas on what CBS Students and CBS can do to improve the study environment,” says Mikkel Nielsen.

During week 20, CBS Students will have a booth in front of the library with a chill zone where students can hang out, play board games and just take a break from their studies.

CBS Students will run an event every day from May 13 to 16. A psychologist will talk about how your brain and body react when it’s not thriving; a coach will offer advice and tools for what you can do as an individual to increase your wellbeing; and a consultant will talk about how students can balance life and work when they graduate. Furthermore, a speaker will talk about mindfulness.

We want to make students reflect on why they’re at CBS and about caring for themselves

Mikkel Nielsen

Chill zones are what CBS Students is currently working on, as they’re needed at CBS. Especially at Solbjerg Plads, argues Mikkel Nielsen.

“CBS, especially Solbjerg Plads, is very clinical in a way. You don’t have chill out areas for students with couches and sack chairs where you can take a break and talk about this and that. There’s one area at the library, but you have to keep your voice down,” he says and hopes that students will share ideas for both concrete initiatives and long-term projects.

“We’ll look through all the ideas and choose ones that we can put forward to the senior management,” he says.

With exams comes pressure

CBS Students was inspired to make an awareness month by universities in the U.S., which have made May the month of mental health. Also, May is a good month to focus on wellbeing, explains Mikkel Nielsen.

“The exam period starts in May, and this is when students tend to feel really stressed out. We want to make students reflect on why they’re at CBS and about caring for themselves. We’re not telling students exactly how to do that, but we want to inspire them and engage them in making an even better study environment,” he says.

Each year, CBS assesses student wellbeing and the study environment, and the last report revealed that students view each other as competitors in a race for good grades. Based on the evaluations, CBS Students and staff members from the study administration are looking into what can be done to change the culture.

So how is CBS Students’ own campaign different from the official evaluations from CBS?

“CBS and CBS Students are continuously working with student welfare, that’s not new. What is new is that we have different presentations on the topic and we’ve made it our focus for an entire month. Also, this should offer students an insight into how CBS Students works and an opportunity to come and talk to us,” he says,

CBS Students will be present at the booth from 10AM to 3PM every day from May 13 to 16.